Bring Her Home
by thepurplestreak
Summary: When Emily has an accident and falls into a coma, her mind transports her to a world where she's been held prisoner for four years by an evil queen. Meanwhile, Paige is trying to find a way to bring her home in both worlds. Paily.
1. Prologue

**~ Prologue ~ **

"I really should just get you a rope ladder," Emily whispered as her girlfriend climbed in through the bedroom window.

"What? No way!" Paige exclaimed, flopping down on Emily's bed. "I've shaved ten seconds off my original time climbing that tree."

The raven-haired girl rolled her eyes, but smiled despite herself. "I just don't want you to get hurt," she explained, lying down next to Paige.

"I'm more worried about your parents hurting me if they ever find out I crash here at least three times a week."  
"Well, you wouldn't have to sneak in to see me if they'd let me out of the house every once in awhile," Emily sighed. "I'm starting to feel like Rapunzel...minus the hair and evil captor."

"And the Prince Charming," Paige added, sitting up.

Emily moved so that she was straddling her girlfriend. "Who needs a prince when I've got you?" She placed a kiss on Paige's lips. "You're much cooler than a prince. You're my knight in shining armor. My dark knight. You're my Batman." Emily giggled.

"Well, that escalated quickly," she laughed. "So, Rapunzel, what do you say we take my batmobile and get out of Rosewood for awhile? I could have Alfred book us a hotel room on a beach somewhere." Paige wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, sending her girlfriend into another fit of giggles.

"And by Alfred, you mean Caleb?"

"He might take offense to that." Paige laid back. Emily hovered over her, her curtain of dark hair falling over her shoulder. She lowered herself to capture Paige's lips with her own. When oxygen became an issue, Emily rolled off her girlfriend and laid beside her.

"So, Batman, when are we getting out of here?"


	2. Chapter 1

**~ Chapter 1 ~**

The high arching windows that adorned the Queen's quarters overlooked the riverside kingdom below. Pam Fields often stood in front of the center window and gazed down at the community and its people when she had to make difficult decisions. It kept her focus on exactly what was at stake, and she was prepared to make one of the riskiest decision of her reign.

"As you're probably well aware, next week marks the four year anniversary of our daughter's kidnapping. The King and I, well, we were so busy sending our troops into the northern territories to help our allies that we neglected her own safety. We never realized her guard was working for the Red Army. We didn't have the foresight to guess that the Red Queen may have infiltrated our ranks, and I live with that burden...that guilt every single day," the older woman spoke softly. Her back was to the knight who was listening quietly several feet behind her. She had deliberately positioned herself that way. Pam couldn't have her strongest warrior see the few tears that she hadn't been able to blink back. Her knight had to have full confidence in her for this mission to be successful. They both had to be unbreakable. The Queen wiped her sweaty palms on the silky purple fabric of her dress before continuing, "We have been able to rebuild in the last four years. With the help of the other royal families - the Marins, the Hastings, and the Montgomerys - we've been able to amass an army large enough and, more importantly, strong and courageous enough to defeat anything the Red Queen may send our way. The time has come to rescue my daughter."

The Queen glanced at the vast forest on the other side of the lake before turning to face her soldier. Her face was austere as she made eye contact with the knight. "And I need you to do it."

* * *

Miles within the forest that bordered the Long Lake stood a tower. Thick ivy covered its outer walls, giving it an appearance that would suggest to any outsider (assuming anyone would even be either brave enough or foolish enough to venture that far into the forest) that it had long since been abandoned. But the tower was far from vacant. Inside the highest room, a girl was fast asleep in her bed. As a weak ray of light filtered in through the room's lone window and settled on the girl's face, she began to stir. She pulled her tattered and dirty blanket closer to her body and buried her face in the pillow.

"Paige, are you up already?" She asked, patting the space next to her. "Paige?" She asked again, turning slightly to the side to make herself louder. Receiving no response, she opened her eyes to investigate. They darted from the dirt floor to the cold, grey brick walls to the window several feet above her head. This was not Emily Fields' bedroom.

Emily leapt out of bed and panic began to flood her body. Her feet found their way to the door. "HELP! Someone, help me!" She pounded her fists against the heavy steel. "Please! Someone!"

Footsteps echoed off the walls outside the room. A panel on the door slid to the side and was replaced by a pair of bright blue eyes.

"Emily, what are you doing?" A familiar male voice whispered. "The guards might have heard you!"

"Toby?" Uneasy relief hit her senses. "Toby, where am I? Where is Paige?"

"Oh, no," the boy sighed. "How badly did they hurt you? At least you can remember my name this time. You're in the Red Queen's tower," Toby responded patiently. "You've been here for almost four years. The Black Duchess betrayed your family and abducted you."

"Red Queen? Black Duchess? Toby, what are you talking about?" Emily asked, a mixture of confusion and fear etched on her face.

His brow furrowed in concern. "Duchess Vanderwaal used to be your guard, but she was working as a spy for the Red Queen. They've been keeping you prisoner. Are you ok? Do you want me to see if I can sneak you some herbs or something to help?"

"Herbs? Why herbs? No aspirin at least?" Her head was swirling with questions. "Duchess Vanderwaal? Are you talking about Mona?" The mention of Mona's name made her frantic. "Where is Paige? Toby, what did Mona do with her?"

"Who is Paige?"

* * *

"She was climbing out of her bedroom window, and she just fell." Paige explained to the nurse in front of her, her mechanical tone reflecting her state of shock. "She just...the tree branch snapped...and she just fell."

"Where were you when this happened?" The nurse asked.

"I offered to go first." Paige ran her fingers through her hair and stopped as they reached the back of her head. Tears began to blur her vision as the nurse's words cut through her shock. "I've climbed that tree so many times. I don't think Emily ever has. I should have gone first. I could've caught her. I could've broken her fall." She sat down, cradling her head in her hands.

"Paige!" Caleb exited the elevator and jogged over to the girl. "Paige, Hanna asked me to keep you company while she went to get Spencer and Aria. Are Emily's parents here?"

"They're with the doctors," she managed to reply through the tears that were now pouring down her face. "This is all my fault. I never should've suggested we sneak out."

Caleb placed his arm around her shoulders. "It's going to be ok."

"But what if it's not?" Paige shot back. "She could be paralyzed or...or lose brain functioning. This is all my fault. I'm supposed to protect her. She trusted me to keep her safe, and...I didn't."

Caleb pulled her closer. "Hey, Emily's a fighter. You know that. She'll be ok, and this was an accident. It's no one's fault."

Paige didn't respond. She just prayed that Caleb was right.

"You've spent four years training for this, and that's all you have to offer? Put some muscle into it!"

Paige tried to ignore the rather intense woman standing above her, but Spencer Hastings was her coach for a reason.

"I mastered archery by the age of eight and swordsmanship by the age of ten! You're exhibiting weakness, McCullers!"

"And your mother was also part dragon," the auburn-haired girl shot back, dodging her opponent's stabbing motion.

"She was an amazon, and only partially responsible for my speed and strength. The rest came from hours of training," Spencer yelled defensively.

Paige blocked an aim at her chest with her blade. "I was referring to your temperament, your majesty." Whatever abuse her mentor was throwing at her was canceled out by the clanking sound of her rival's weapon dropping to the floor. She had successfully disarmed him without sustaining any injuries herself. Not that this was a new occurrence. Paige had been doing this numerous times a day for over a year now, but this never seemed to have an effect on Princess Spencer's attitude. She wanted each decision, each motion of her body to be perfect, but she failed to see perfection even when Paige gave it to her.

"Thank you, Wren. You're dismissed," Spencer said to the other swordsman with a lazy wave of her hand. "Dame McCullers, Princess Hanna needs to see you about your armor. Don't forget you're practicing hand-to-hand combat with Caleb when you're finished." Paige removed her helmet and looked up to see that her coach was giving her a scathing look. "And I do hope you've worked on your patience. Your hotheadedness costs you dearly each fight." Spencer turned on her heel and moved away from the rail of the balcony.

* * *

Emily sat on the floor of the room with her head against the door. Toby had left her after being summoned by the Duchess but promised to return later. "The Duchess," yeah, right. There was no Black Duchess. There was no way Mona and whoever she was working for had amassed an army large enough to take over lands ruled by her friends. There was no way her friends were rulers of anything. She was not a princess. She was Emily Fields, senior at Rosewood High. None of this was plausible.

"This is just a dream," she muttered to herself. "Paige will wake you up, like she always does, and then sneak outside to knock on the door and smile at your parents as if she hadn't just spent the night with her limbs entangled with their daughter's. This will be over soon."

The bang of the bolted door being unlocked caused her to jump. She crawled back just in time for it to swing open and reveal two guards. They were dressed in deep red jackets with gold fastenings, black pants, and shiny black boots. The most striking feature of their uniforms, however, was the gold cap with a large red A embroidered on the right side resting on their heads.

"Your majesty," the guard with short dark hair and a manic glint in his eye offered an exaggerated bow.

"The Duchess heard about your little tantrum this morning," the guard with the cascading blonde hair sneered. "She asked us to see to you."

Emily tried to move back as they slowly advanced toward her, but they had her cornered.

"Aw, look at that. She's frightened. Maybe she has forgotten what life is like in the tower," the blonde guard laughed.

"Allow us to remind you, princess," the second guard said in a sickeningly sweet tone as he bent down and grabbed her by the wrists. Forcing Emily to her feet, he positioned her in front of him with her hands behind her back. Before she knew what was happening, the blonde guard offered blow after blow to any place on Emily's body that her fist could reach. She cried out in pain, asked them to stop, but it was no use. The blonde's attacks were relentless.  
The male guard let go of her and watched as she dropped to the floor.

"Hopefully we were able to jog your memory, your majesty," he said, gleefully.

"Remember, a princess always keeps her mouth shut," the second added and closed the door.

Emily was left in the corner, clutching her stomach in an attempt to relieve the pain. She tried to sit up, but it only made her feel dizzy. Moving her hand to her forehead, she felt something wet and sticky. Her fingers were coated with blood. The guards had done more damage than she thought. Black dots started to cloud her vision, so she lay back down.

"Paige, please, I need to wake up."

* * *

"Mrs. Fields!" Caleb removed his arm from Paige's shoulder and stood up. Paige remained seated on the bench, her head still in her hands. She couldn't face Emily's mom.

"How is she?"

"She's, uh," Pam's voice was shaky. "The doctor's say she has to be unconscious for two more hours before they can label it, but...they...they think she's in a coma."

A fresh wave of tears streamed down the auburn-haired girl's face and dripped onto the white tiles under her feet. "I'm sorry, Em. So...sorry."


	3. Chapter 2

**Thanks for following and reviewing, guys! It's very kind of you. To answer some questions, I'm thinking this will probably be about 20 chapters, and the length between updates is directly related to how much work my professors think I should do each week. I hope you enjoy it! I'm still trying to figure out how much ground work I need to lay out, but things will pick up next chapter, I promise. **

**~ Chapter 2 ~  
**"Come on, Emily. Wake up."

Emily's eyes fluttered open to see Toby's face a mere three inches from her's. Before she could react, his hand was over her mouth.

"Sorry! I didn't want to startle you, but I brought you something to help with the pain. Don't make any loud noises," he explained, removing his hand. "Can you sit up?"

Emily was still lying on the floor where the guards had left her. The room was now pitch black except for a tiny bit of moonlight shining in from the window. If he hadn't been so close to her, she probably wouldn't even have been able to see Toby. There was a throbbing pain in her head and a sharp pain shooting up her side, but she tried to sit up anyway. Toby gently placed one hand on her shoulder and the other below her rib cage to help ease her up, but pain in her side was magnified. Emily gasped at the sensation.

"Sorry," he said, moving his hand to the small of her back. Emily bit her lip to keep from making anymore noise, but nodded to show that she had heard his apology. "I managed to sneak some arnica out of the Duchess' personal stores earlier today," he said, handing her what looked like a palmful of crushed flowers.

Emily moved the remedy close to her face to observe it. "What am I supposed to do with it?" He was too far away to tell, but she was certain he was giving her a funny look.

"You apply it to your bruises," Toby instructed. "It should help ease the pain."

"I'm not sure if I can touch them," Emily responded shakily. "I don't suppose the Duchess had any codeine handy."

"What herb is that?"

"Nevermind." Emily didn't have it in her to deal with the differences between medieval and modern medicine. "Do you think you could help me get to the bed?"

Toby carefully picked her up, "Hold on, and tell me if I'm hurting you." Emily wrapped her arms around the boy's neck and rested her head on his shoulder. After a few minutes of slow and cautious movements, he successfully located the bed and gingerly placed the girl down. Once Emily got herself settled, he took a seat on the edge of the bed.

"You know, you didn't have to carry me."

"Me touching your side made you gasp in pain. If you accidentally ran into the bedpost or tripped, the pain might've made you yell out. You know the guards would love any excuse to...to hurt you more than they already have. I didn't want to give them the chance," he explained, his words laced with genuine concern. "Besides, princesses don't walk for themselves. That's what servants are for," he joked.

Although he couldn't see it, Emily gave him a smile. She couldn't make sense of what was happening. She couldn't figure out how the scenario of being held prisoner by an evil royal rival to her family was even plausible, but she had the scars to prove that it was real. She was relieved to know that even in this twisted alternate reality, Toby still cared enough to look out for her. He may think that she's suffered enough head trauma to completely forget who she is, but he was a friend, which was something she was desperately going to need to get through this.

"I'm going to head out. It's almost daybreak, but I'll be back to check on you soon. Try to get some sleep in the mean time." Emily could feel Toby's weight leave the bed. "Maybe I could answer some of your questions to see if we can jog your memory." She heard his light footsteps make their way to the door.

"Thank you, Toby."

* * *

"King Arthur's pants, Hanna, ow!" Paige yelled as the princess stuck her with a pin.

"If you would quit fidgeting, this wouldn't happen!" She shook her head.

Paige was standing on a small pedestal in front of a large folding mirror. Hanna Marin was making some last minute alterations to the garments she was supposed to wear under her armor, but the knight was growing impatient.

"You know how Princess Spencer gets if I'm late."

"Oh, please. You don't have to meet with her for another hour. We'll be done in plenty of time. Now hold still," the blonde rolled her eyes.

Paige tilted her head back and closed her eyes. She could get through this. If she could take down some of fiercest warriors of enemy kingdoms with her bare hands, she could get through a clothes fitting. Paige exhaled loudly and opened her eyes. The mural on the ceiling that she was now facing took her off guard. She had seen this one and the numerous others that Princess Aria had done for the King and Queen over the past few years hundreds of times, but seeing the image of the missing princess sitting on the shores of the lake always made her breath catch in her lungs. Her eyes traced the swirls of blue and the light curving lines of green that made up the water to the outline of the young girl they surrounded. The pink sunset behind her cast a warm glow on her tan skin. Her palms were pressed into the gold sand. The princess' mouth was turned upward in a small smile, and her dark brown eyes looked out over the water. Without any knowledge of the girl's circumstances, the mural would have been calming. It would have reminded anyone who looked at it just how beautiful Emily Fields is. Now it was just an eerie reminder of how quickly a kingdom could fall, but Paige was mesmerized by it nonetheless.

"Staring again, I see." Paige was snapped out of her thoughts as Hanna's assistant entered the room. "You falling in love with a painting, McCullers?"

"Hey, it's made her immune to pinpricks. I've stabbed her about four times now, and she hasn't noticed," the blonde princess laughed.

"Yeah, Shana, so...wait, what?" The knight meant to make a witty remark, but her face contorted into a scrunched mix of confusion and exasperation as Hanna's words sank in.

"Oh, don't look at me like that," Hanna dismissed the girl's expression with a slight wave of her hand. "We're done and you didn't feel a thing." She backed away from the pedestal so that she could examine her work. Paige threw her head back out of impatience, but regained her composure after catching Shana raising her eyebrow out of the corner of her eye.

"I'm not in love," Paige mouthed at her.

The dark-haired girl rolled her eyes and mouthed, "Are, too."

"Am not," she said indignantly.

"Oh, please. Every time you look at that painting, you look as though you're about to recite nauseating love poems at it."

"You just wish I would recite my heartfelt desire for you in fourteen-line format."

"Will you two shut up?" Hanna interjected. "You weirdos can make kissy faces at each other later. Shana, did you bring bring what I asked for?"

Her assistant walked over to the long wooden workbench on the left side of the room and moved the various velvets and silks aside to make room. She retrieved a basket next to the door, pulled out a roll of thick black fabric and a small crystal bottle, and placed the items on the table. Paige eyed them curiously as Hanna dismissed Shana. Once she was out of the room, she turned to the auburn-haired girl with the most serious face Paige had ever seen on the princess.

"Paige, the Queen told me about your mission," Hanna started with a tone to match her expression. "If you're going to save Emily, you're going to need all the help you can get. You're usual armor won't be enough to go against the Black Duchess or anyone in the Red Army. They're capable of violence and magic that we can't defend ourselves against. So, I've been searching for anything that could possibly help, and I managed to get my hands on these." She carefully unfolded the fabric and held it out for Paige to touch. It was strange. It felt strong and sturdy, much like her metal armor, but it had all the flexibility of the wool suit she usually wore underneath.

"It took a few black market dealings..." Hanna began to explain, but the knight's quizzical expression made her break. "Hey, look, before my mom took the throne, she knew some interesting people. It doesn't hurt to have some of those connections every once in awhile. Trust me, if this stuff works out like it's supposed to, you'll be happy she was once courted by a gentlemen who deals in enchanted fabrics and potentially cursed home decor."

"I wasn't going to say anything," Paige said, holding her arms up in mock surrender.

"Back to what I was saying. This is black wool like you're regular undergarments, but it's been enchanted to give you protection against any weaponry you might come across - swords, knives, arrows."

"But no protection against any black magic?" Paige asked.

"That's what this is for," Hanna held up the crystal container. "Phoenix tears. I'm going to..."

"How did you get those?" Paige marveled, cutting off the princess' explanation. "I thought those were banned years ago after so many of the birds were abused by people trying to get them to produce tears."

Hanna cocked her head to the side. "My mom knows a guy." Paige gave her a look begging her to keep going. "She knows a guy who deals in magical creatures. And don't look so excited about that. He tried to trade someone a fire-breathing chicken for a flying carpet awhile back, and it almost sparked a war with a far off kingdom. Anyway, how am I the focused one right now? Every time you see Shana, you become this giddy...well, not giddy. You're a knight. I don't think you have it in your personality to be giddy. But you become this version of you that would make Princess Spencer's hair curl."

Paige felt her cheeks grow hot at the mention of Shana's name. She enjoyed her banter with the girl, and she would be lying if she said she didn't find her attractive. She just didn't know it was that obvious.

"Sorry, please continue your explanation, your majesty. I'll stop interrupting."

Hanna gave her a funny a look at the sudden unnecessary formality, but continued anyway. "The idea is to soak the fabric in the phoenix tears, so that the healing power is bound in it. I want to see if you can be healed by just having the cloth over whatever area of your body may be damaged by a curse. The alternative is to get you a phoenix or a unicorn, but I imagine those wouldn't be discreet travel companions."

"Because you know all about discreet," Paige teased, unable to hold it in. It was a fair point given the princess' hot pink dress and gold heels. She was also the only princess to wear her tiara every day. Not because she liked to flaunt her royalty, but she considered it her best accessory.

Hanna gave her a small smile. "Paige, I trust you. I know you're the best person for this job. I just want to help any way that I can."

Paige returned the smile and placed her hand on the princess' shoulder. "I know I like to give you a hard time, but I know you know what you're doing," she said, her sincerity evident by her tone.

Princess Hanna nodded. "All right. I will take care of this. Meet me here tomorrow morning, and we'll see if this will work. You should probably get to Princess Spencer."

"She's probably giving Caleb tips on how to overpower me. Sometimes, I really think she likes watching me get taken down."

"That sounds like a Hastings princess," Hanna laughed. "Tell Caleb I said, 'hi,' will you?"

Paige tried to fight back the smirk that was creeping over her face. She knew the princess had been sneaking around with the stable boy for months, but she didn't think Hanna wanted anyone to know about it.

"You got it," she nodded, her hand on the door.

"Um, Paige?"

"Yeah?"

"You might want to change back into your clothes. You hate it enough when I stick you with pins. I don't think having them stab you while you're being wrestled to the ground would make you enjoy them much more."

* * *

Emily stared at the ceiling of her cell - she was done calling it a room. Prisoners don't have rooms. It was midday, and she hadn't been able to get much sleep because of the pain in her side. Once sunlight began streaming through the window, she was able to inspect her wounds more closely. Her entire abdomen was purple and blue, and her ribs were definitely bruised if not broken. Her inability to move without her ribs protesting left her in bed, and she had nothing to do but observe her space, or lack thereof. She was beginning to get claustrophobic.

"Ok, Fields, if you're going to get out of here, you have to start playing by their rules. You are no longer co-captain of your swim team. You are a princess being held hostage by people who want to hurt you...and you're talking to yourself." Emily rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. Thinking about Rosewood and everyone in it had only earned her confused looks from Toby, and he was the only person she had. If she was going to get out of there, she was going to have to convince him that she wasn't suffering from some severe brain trauma that made her forget everything.

Emily sat up slowly and warily threw her legs over the side of the bed. The small pile of arnica Toby had given her the night before lay next to her pillow. "Might as well try this again," she thought. She lifted up her thin cotton shirt and gently rubbed the crushed flowers over her bruises. She bit her lip to keep from making any noise. She let out a small sigh of relief after finishing, but a slight copper taste filled her mouth. She had been biting her lip so hard that she drew blood.

"I hope that works," she whispered, running her index finger lightly over her bottom lip to stem the bleeding. Emily felt a warm sensation spread over her lips, and the copper taste in mouth disappeared. "Huh, I thought he said this only works on bruises."

Emily shrugged and turned her attention to the window on the opposite wall. "Possible escape route number one."

* * *

"You're biggest downfall is that you look right at where you're going to strike. It's ok to glance, but you hold your gaze too long," the knight explained to Caleb. They had just finished their last training session for the day.

Before Caleb could respond, Spencer's sister, Melissa interrupted their conversation. "Stable boy, you haven't finished cleaning the stalls, and the horses have to be fed. Stop messing around," she snapped, her dark blue dress billowing out behind her as she stood near the edge of the horses' lodging. Both Paige and Caleb wanted to say something, but Melissa was the one princess who actually took her authority seriously.

"Right away, your majesty," he responded through gritted teeth.

"I'll help," Paige said, standing up. She held out her hand, which the boy took to pull himself up.

"Here," Caleb picked up a sack of feed and handed it to his friend. "Let's just get them fed." She followed his lead, and they made their way into the barn.

They worked in silence until Paige remembered her meeting with Hanna that morning. "Princess Hanna says, 'hi,' by the way. She asked me to tell you earlier," she said casually, looking at Caleb out of the corner of her eye.

"Oh, yeah, she's really nice," he responded, trying not to sound too happy, but the smile forming on his lips was betraying him. "She likes to come down here a lot and play with the horses."

"Yeah, the horses," Paige muttered, smiling mischievously. "Do you know what I think would really impress her?"

"What's that?" he asked, trying but failing to sound disinterested.

She finished pouring feed into her last horse's trough, and walked over to the stall Caleb was in. She leaned against the side of the door and patted the white horse, the one she knew to be Hanna's, in front of her. Caleb had finished with the rest of the horses and had started brushing this one.

"I think becoming a knight would really impress her." Caleb opened his mouth to protest, but Paige wouldn't let him. "You know you can fight. You're better than most of the guys I've trained with. Why else would Princess Spencer of all people ask you to fight against me? You know she'd only pit me against people she thought could beat me."

"I'm the stable boy. Who is going to give me a chance?"

"Princess Spencer. Princess Hanna. Me," she answered sincerely. She moved in front of him so he'd have no choice but to make eye contact. "You know things have changed since the kingdoms have had to integrate. Class doesn't matter as much as it used to." He looked unconvinced. "Look, the Queen has asked me to go on a mission, and I don't think I can handle it by myself. I was going to ask for a partner, and I would feel a lot better if that partner were you."

Caleb looked down and let out a sigh. "Do you really think Hanna would vouch for me?"

Paige smiled widely. "Yeah, I think the princess would vouch for you."

* * *

"Paige," Hanna gently shook the auburn-haired girl's shoulder until her eyes opened. "Why don't you go home. Take a shower, get some sleep."

"But I want to be here in case something happens," she said groggily, rubbing her eyes.

"Here," the blonde held out a cup of coffee. "I figured you'd say that."

Paige accepted the coffee with a polite "thank you" and sat up in her chair.

"Have the doctors..."

"Nothing's changed since you fell asleep," Hanna cut her off. "I'd have woken you up if it had." Paige nodded, taking a sip of her drink. "But Emily's mom called a little while ago. I answered for you since you dozed off."

"What'd she say?"

"She asked if I could have you run by their house. She's trying to get some stuff together to make this room feel less...hospital-y," Hanna explained, gesturing to the medical equipment hooked up to Emily. "She thought maybe you'd be able to help her pick out some of Emily's favorite stuff."

"I should head over, then." Paige stood up and walked over to her girlfriend. She leaned down and kissed Emily's forehead. Brushing her hair behind her ear, she whispered, "Keep fighting, Em. You can get through this."

As she made her way out of the room, Hanna's voice followed her. "Take a shower while you're there. Three days of no bathing doesn't smell good on you, Paige."


	4. Chapter 3

**~Chapter 3~**

"Toby, that stuff you gave me is magical," Emily said, lifting up her shirt a bit to show him her fading bruises. "They're almost gone."

"You know arnica isn't magical," Toby laughed. "Not that magic would work in here anyway." He leaned down to examine her injuries more carefully. His eyes widened. "Emily," all humor had left his tone. "How did you do this?"

"Do what?"

"This!" He pointed at her stomach. "It should have taken weeks for these to heal to this point."

"The arnica..." she started.

"Arnica can help with pain, but it can't make anything heal faster." He stood up and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Emily, I need you to think. What have you done since I last saw you? List everything."

"I...I just stayed in bed because of the pain, but I rubbed that stuff over my bruises. That's it. That's all I've been able to do." Her confusion was obvious.

"You rubbed it on with your hands, right?" A smile was forming on his face.

"Yes, I rubbed it on with my hands. What else was I supposed to use?" She raised her eyebrow.

"It's finally happening," Toby said, excitedly, moving his hands up to cup her cheeks. "Emily, you've finally done it!"

"What did I do?"

"You're overpowering her curse!" He looked as though he was about to burst with excitement.

Remembering the promise she made to herself to commit to this fantasy world, she avoided the questions she wanted to ask and went with what Toby was saying. "How can you be sure?"

"Here." He rolled up his shirt sleeve to show a small cut on his forearm. "Run your fingers across it."

Emily cocked her head to the side, surveying the boy's face. He was more than just excited. He looked hopeful. Letting out a breath, she slowly ran her thumb over his cut. They both waited a few seconds, staring at his arm. When nothing particularly noteworthy happened, Toby rolled down his sleeve but his smile never faltered.

"I'll be back in about an hour. Keep practicing on your ribs while I'm gone." He took her hands in his and held her gaze. "You can do this, Emily. I felt something. I know you can do this." He pulled her into a light hug and then made his way out of the cell.

She watched as the door closed behind the boy. "What exactly am I supposed to be practicing?"

* * *

"Mrs. Fields?" Paige called out, noticing that the front door of Emily's house was open a few inches. She knocked lightly. "Mrs. Fields?" Still no answer. Figuring her girlfriend's mother probably couldn't hear her, she decided to step inside. She made her way up the stairs to Emily's bedroom. The door was open, but no one was inside. She started to turn around to check the rest of the hall, but she caught something out of the corner of her eye. There was a box on the bed brimming with Emily's things. Curiosity got the best of her, and Paige went to investigate.

The top layer was composed of nothing but her girlfriend's swimming medals. She smirked at the idea of Emily's parents using these as a way to discreetly brag to the nurses about their daughter. Moving them to side, she found several books, and next to the books were several framed photos. She removed the first one from the box to get a better look.

"I think that one's my favorite from when she was little."

Paige's body jerked so hard she almost dropped the frame. Mrs. Fields was leaning against the doorframe watching her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," Pam apologized. She walked over to the bed and sat down. "May I?" She gestured toward the photo, and Paige handed it to her. "Yeah, this was her fifth birthday party. Wayne got her this pink Barbie jeep without asking me," she laughed. "It was funny because we were both so scared that she might drive it into the street or crash into something...get hurt. But Emily just didn't care."

Paige glanced down at the photo. Little Emily had her hands on the steering wheel of the bright pink mini-car and was staring into the camera mid-laugh. It was pure unbridled joy, the way things were supposed to be for kids.

"With everything that's happened to her, it's just nice seeing a reminder of her being carefree."

"It's amazing how her smile's stayed the same. This is what she looks like after a particularly good swim meet."

"It's what she looks like when she talks to me about you," Pam said, handing her back

the photo.

* * *

"You're here early," Shana stated, walking into Hanna's workspace.

"Nah, you're just late," Paige teased. She was sitting at the workbench pouring over one

of the princess' books. She was hoping to figure out how enchanted wool would react to various types of blades.

"Then what does that make Hanna?"

"On time," the knight responded without looking up. "She's the princess."

"Right." Shana smiled. "So, why so many appointments this week? Need more time on

the beach with the princess?" Her eyes moved up to the painting.

"Of course," Paige said matter-of-factly. "How else am I supposed to court my future bride?"

"Are you sure you're mentally fit enough to serve in the royal military?" Shana raised her eyebrows.

"You're just jealous I've found love," Paige looked up and feigned lovestruck eyes.

"Well," her voice took on a more serious tone. "I tend to fall for people a little more real." Paige coughed nervously, but the other girl moved closer.

"Is that...is that so?" she stuttered.

"Yeah." Shana was standing right next to her. "Yeah, it is."

"That's...nice." Paige inwardly cringed. She could feel her cheeks burning.

"It could be nice for you if you let it," she said, sitting on the table next to the knight. Paige froze. She couldn't say she hadn't suspected that Shana might get more direct than their usual flirty banter, but having it actually happen was throwing her off.

"Come on, Paige," she placed her hand over the knight's. "Let's see where we can take this."

Paige's heart was pounding in her chest, but she gave her a nervous smile. "Tonight? Meet me by the stables when you're done with Hanna?"

Shana smirked, giving Paige's hand a squeeze. She got up and made her way over to the door. Just as the auburn-haired girl was starting to worry that she had just made an ass of herself, she heard, "See you tonight," and watched as the hem of Shana's dress whipped around the corner.

Paige sat back in her chair and let out the breath she had been holding.

"Get it, McCullers!" She spun around to find Hanna walking toward her, arms full of black material and a smirk planted firmly on her face. Paige let out a groan, and the princess laughed. "It took you long enough," she continued, placing the fabric on the table and her hand on the girl's shoulder. Paige had her face in her hands to conceal the blush that was creeping up her face.

"Were you listening outside the door that whole time?" She asked through gritted teeth.

"Duh!"

"Of course," Paige whispered, moving her head up. Noticing the black fabric on the table, she asked, "Is that the suit?" Hanna nodded. "Does it work?"

"We'll know as soon as Spencer stabs you," the princess responded nonchalantly.

"Excuse me!?"

As if on cue, Spencer opened the door, her sword tucked into the brown leather belt around her waist.

"Perfect!" Hanna clapped her hands together. "Dame McCullers, if you please." She held out the new armor. She took it from the princess and went behind the dressing screen in the corner of the room to change. Removing her loose-fitting linen shirt and brown pants, she overheard Spencer and Hanna.

"I heard from Toby again," the brunette whispered. "Emily's been injured again. He said she couldn't even remember that she'd been kidnapped. She had no idea where she was."

Paige paused, feeling a sense of rage build up inside her.

"We're down to only Noel Kahn and CeCe Drake, right?" Hanna asked. The knight assumed Spencer nodded because Hanna continued. "I will never understand how they made Wayne's security detail."

"They made it in because Mona taught them well, but we still have a kingdom because Wayne is smarter than they anticipated. If it hadn't been for Noel and CeCe, he may not have figured out the Red Queen's plan in time enough to stop it. And he somehow managed to keep his kingdom together and win the last battle after finding out his daughter went missing," Spencer responded, a hint of awe in her tone.

"But, like a typical Fields, the king let them live. And now they're torturing his daughter."

"I swear, if I ever get my hands on either of them..."

"You'll finally turn into a dragon?" Hanna interrupted.

"A very hungry one," Spencer went along with the joke. "But we need to get her out of there soon. It seems like Toby's messages are getting worse and worse each week."

"If Paige's armor works out, then she leaves in three days."

"Have you seen Aria's maps? Assuming they're accurate, it could take her a week to get to that tower." She sighed. "And we have no idea who or what is lurking in that forest. It could take her weeks."

"Are we rushing into this?"

"Hanna, how can you say that? Emily's been in there for four years. You just pointed out that Noel and CeCe are torturing her."

"I know!" The volume of Hanna's voice rose. "I just don't want Paige to get hurt! She's our best warrior, and we're sending her up against the army that destroyed three out of four kingdoms by herself. And we can't even tell her what the Red Queen has in those woods besides her soldiers."

"Look, there's virtually no security around her. Toby's made sure of that. We're sending in Paige by herself so that we can do this quietly. If the Red Queen retaliates, she has to do it on our land, where we have an advantage...where we've been preparing for this since Emily went missing," Spencer explained. "And as much as it pains me to say it, Paige is our best chance at bringing Emily home safely. She's good, and I haven't been able to find anything to throw at her that she can't take."

The room grew silent and Paige realized she had yet to put on her suit. She threw it on hastily and emerged from behind the screen.

Hanna let out a low whistle. "You look good, my lady."

"But do I look ready to fight?" Paige questioned back, walking over to the princesses.

Spencer began to circle her. "It's form-fitting, which will help give you a speed advantage. The color will help keep you hidden since you'll mostly be moving at night. And the material is flexible, so you'll be able to move more freely than in your regular armor. Belts for weapon storage. It's been vigorously tested against every type of weapon we have in our arsenal, which meant a sleepless night for me, thank you very much. We're still working on a way to test it against curses, but other than that you're definitely ready to fight," the princess concluded as she resumed her spot next to Hanna.

"Why don't you get in front of the mirror and take a look," the blonde suggested.

Paige stepped up onto the platform in front of the folding mirror. Spencer was not kidding about the suit being form-fitting. The black fabric hugged her every curve perfectly. The line from her collarbone to her navel was adorned with circular bronze fasteners that had glittering black jewels in the center. The Fields family crest was pressed into the material just below her right shoulder, and the crests of the other three royal families created a band around her arm underneath it. There was a thick black leather belt around her waist, and a smaller one around her right thigh. The buckle on the belt was made from the same jewel as the buttons.

Paige wanted to tell Hanna how she'd outdone herself, but all that came out was, "How am I even breathing in this?"

The blonde princess laughed as Spencer knelt down to roll out a brown leather case filled with weapons at the knight's feet. After examining each of them carefully, she selected one and stood up behind Paige.

"I've been trying to come up with the perfect combination of blades, and I think I've finally come up with it."

* * *

"This one," Pam pulled another photo out of the box. "This one I took at the Hastings' a few years ago." Paige leaned over to get a better look. Emily, Spencer, Hanna, and Aria were sitting around a circular table playing cards. Spencer was throwing her arms up in celebration, while Hanna's head was on the table in defeat and Aria's face was contorted into a look of confusion in anger. But Emily was sitting back, a small, content smile on her face.

"Emily threw that game so Spencer would win," Mrs. Fields let out a laugh. "I guess she had lost a field hockey game...maybe it was a debate team thing...anyway, she was having a really bad day. You know how Spencer is with winning. I guess Emily thought even a small victory would help."

"That sounds like Emily." Paige grinned. "You know that night at the lighthouse?" She looked up at her girlfriend's mother, who was looking back at her with curiosity. "Hanna was crying...and just so upset because we still didn't know if Caleb was going to be all right. Emily begged those police officers to just give her a minute to check on her friend. I mean, she had just been through an absolute nightmare, and all she could think about was checking on Hanna...Her heart's so big I get scared that it'll break when she tries to fit the whole world into it. But she wouldn't be Emily if she didn't try."

* * *

"Emily!" Toby whispered excitedly as he opened the door to her cell. "I want you to try something!" Emily, who had been lying on her bed observing the ceiling, sat up. The blue-eyed boy sat down next to her, his hand tucked into the left side of his red jacket. "You can't make any loud noises." Sensing the seriousness on his face, she nodded. Toby let out a low breath and slowly pulled out a tiny bluebird. He carefully placed it on the bed in between them. The bird started to frantically flap its wings, but Toby managed to soothe it by gently stroking the top of its head with his index finger.

"What's wrong with it?" the raven-haired girl asked, moving closer.

"It broke one of its wings." He moved the bird onto its side so that she could get a better look. "I need you to heal it."

The look of concern that had been on Emily's face was replaced with one of panic. "Toby, I don't know. I could try setting it, but I don't have much practice. I..."

"You've got plenty of practice," he interrupted. "You can do this, Emily. That cut I showed you earlier completely healed while I was gone." He pulled up his jacket sleeve to show her.

"But how?"

"Your magic touch is back," he said with a grin.

"Of course," Emily sighed. "Just...can I do it alone?" She looked down at her hands. "I feel like it might work better if I had some privacy."

He looked a little disappointed, but nodded his agreement nonetheless. "I have to go do something for the Duchess, so just let it fly out the window when you're done." He gave her a shoulder a squeeze and left the room.

"Hey, little guy," she stroked the bird's head gently as Toby did. "What are we going to do with you? Hmm? Toby seems to think I can help you. Do you want to see if he's right?" She cautiously laid out his broken wing and examined it. It didn't appear to be too bad. Just bad enough to impede the creature's ability to fly. "Ok, Mr. Bluebird, this may hurt a little bit, but you should be back to flying in no time. Maybe one of us can get out of here." Shutting her eyes tight and willing every positive ounce of energy she could muster toward the bird, she lightly traced his break with her fingers. After doing this for about a minute, she opened an eye to see if anything had changed, but nothing noticeable had occurred. "I'm sorry, Mr. Bluebird. I'm not quite sure what I'm doing. I've only ever healed scratches before, and I don't even know how that happened."

Emily stood up and started pacing. "Maybe if I give you a little time, it'll kick in. That's what happened with Toby." She turned on her heel to face the bed. "Would you like a ride while we wait? You were probably tired of being carried around in coat pockets and hands?" She picked up the bird and placed it on her shoulder. She felt his talons grip her shirt as he steadied himself. She slowly began to pace again, being very careful with her movements.

"Were you a parrot in another life?" She asked him with a laugh. "You seem to have a knack for this. I'm sorry you broke your wing. Do you know what happened? Was it those guards with the red jackets? They hurt me, too. But Toby gave me some magical plant to make the pain go away. He says I healed myself though. That's why he brought you here, but I don't know, Mr. Bluebird." Emily sighed. "I'm from a place called Rosewood. We don't have duchesses or queens or princesses. No one has any magical powers. Toby says I've been in here for four years, but I haven't. I know I haven't. I was at home with my friends...with my girlfriend." She bit her lip. "I miss Paige so much, Mr. Bluebird. And I don't even know if she exists in this world. Spencer, Hanna, and Aria are all princesses, but Paige, well, that wouldn't even be her style. We were going to run away for a little bit. We just wanted to go somewhere where no one was constantly checking up on us."

Emily stopped and looked down at the bird, reaching up to stroke its neck. "Can I tell you something, Mr. Bluebird? Well, more than I already have? Paige helped me be myself again. I didn't think I would ever be able to move on from Maya...even when I first started dating Paige. It wasn't fair. Why should I be allowed to keep going if she couldn't? But Paige reminded me that it was ok to be happy. I was worth that happiness. I was worthy of having someone fight for me. I was worth defining my life outside of another person...no matter how much they meant to me. I'll always have that spot for Maya, but I feel like I can build my life with Paige, not around her. We pulled each other back from going too far into that darkness in our own minds, and I wish she was here to pull me back again. I don't know how or why I'm here, and I need to go back home."

She wasn't sure when she started to cry, but the tears were flowing heavily down her face. The bluebird leaned his head into her cheek, which made Emily laugh. "You want to help me get out of here?" she asked, petting his side. Their moment was cut short by the sound of steel banging against the wall. Startled by the noise, the bird flew from her shoulder up to the window.

"Lunch time, princess," the blonde guard announced, shoving a tray of food across the floor toward her. "I'd eat up if I were you. The Duchess wants to see you later."

Emily held her composure until the sound of the guard's footsteps faded away.

* * *

"And that's how he defeated the troll with just half of the blade still in tact. Now this..."

"Spencer!" Hanna yelled, "We get it! Paige can kill people with each of your sharp, pointy objects!"

"Han, I wouldn't call the circular blade 'pointy,'" Spencer countered, completely unaware of the princess' exasperation.

"You've been at this for three hours now. Paige gets it. Even I get it."

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to prepare her for all of the potential threats her journey may bring her."

"Well, maybe..."

"Your majesties!" Paige interjected, "I have somewhere to be, so can we wrap up this argument?"

"Oh, is that somewhere by the stables with Shana?" Paige was amazed by how quickly Hanna could shift focus.

"No," the knight said slowly. "I was going to request a meeting with the King, and I was hoping you could help. That is if you're both done debating the sharpness of my weaponry." The princesses looked at her expectantly. "I need someone to come with me on this mission, and I want that someone to be Caleb. I need you to help me convince the King to let him go with me."

"Why Caleb?" Spencer asked, her tone neutral, while Hanna remained silent, her expression unreadable.

"He needs the opportunity, and I trust him more than anyone else."

"What about Jason? Or Wren?"

"Wren is terrible with anything more than five inches in length including his own body. And I don't understand how Jason is even training for combat. He should be doing spy work. Caleb and I work well together. We compliment each other's technique. You've seen us, Spencer. We know exactly how the other is going to move and when. Just give him a chance. There's a reason you've been having him train with me. You know he's good."

"Paige, he isn't formally trained. What if something happened? What if this turns out terribly? What if we jeopardize the safety of the kingdom? How are we going to be able to boost morale and foster a sense of unity if everyone finds out we sent a stable boy on one of the most important assignments since the final battle? I can't authorize something like that." Spencer gave her an apologetic look, but her tone was firm.

"I thought the point of just sending one knight to rescue Emily was to avoid jeopardizing the safety of the kingdom," Hanna cocked her head to the side, raising her eyebrows at the brunette. "One more person, particularly a stable boy with no family, probably wouldn't even register in the public's consciousness."

"So we send him because nobody would miss him?"

"No." Hanna shook her head. "We send him because Paige asked for back up, and we both know Caleb is qualified despite not officially being in the military. His lack of status just makes it that much more understandable to send him since no one would catch on."

The brunette princess let out a sigh. "Who taught you how to argue, Han?"

"After being friends with you for so long, it started to rub off."

"Ok," Spencer looked at Paige. "I'll talk to the King about it at our meeting this afternoon." The knight was about to ask if she should accompany her, but she was cut off. "It'll be better if it's just me. If you ask, he might think you just want a friend instead of a partner."

"And I will get to work on Caleb's armor," Hanna added, turning toward Paige. "So you need to go find him, and send him to me."

"Let me just get changed."

Spencer and Hanna exchanged goodbyes as Paige put her normal clothes back on. When she emerged from behind the screen, she found the blonde staring contemplatively into a large wardrobe on the wall opposite the workbench.

"Thankfully, I still have the armor that served as the inspiration for your suit," she said, selecting a deep blue suit made of much more rigid material. "It won't be as protective as yours, but it should get the job done." She looked up at the knight. "Can you go find Caleb and send him my way? I want to make sure this still fits him."

"Still fits him?"

A blush crept up Hanna's cheeks. "I ask him to be my mannequin sometimes so Melissa will leave him alone. He helped with this one. Can you get him for me?"

"You got it, your majesty." Paige smiled. "And thank you for backing me up."

"Paige, you're my friend. I feel a lot better about you doing this knowing you have back up, and I know Caleb can handle it. It may even increase your chances of saving Emily. It would mean the world to me to see her again. This could be the best thing for everyone. But, please, keep him safe. Someone will miss him if he doesn't come back." Hanna put her arm around Paige and rested her head on the knight's shoulder. "He does have someone that cares about him...deeply cares about him."

Reaching across her torso to rub the princess' arm resting at her side, Paige said, "I'll bring him back, Hanna. I promise you. We're all going to come back."

* * *

"This last picture I was hoping you could tell me about," Pam said, handing it to Paige. It was of the couple at a party. They were dancing, Emily's arms were wrapped around Paige's neck and Paige's around Emily's waist. The raven-haired girl's head was thrown back in laughter, while her girlfriend smiled at her sweetly.

Paige laughed. "This was taken on our first real date after...after Em decided she wanted to try dating again. We went to a party after a swim meet, and then we just sat in my car and talked after."

"I'm going to ignore that image of my daughter in your car." Emily's mom shook her head. "Do you remember what you said to her to make her laugh like that?"

Paige looked down at her lap, embarrassed. "I told her about my first slow dance with a guy. It was seventh grade, and he tried to be smooth. He tried to dip me, but my back ended up colliding with the floor."

Pam burst out laughing.

"Well, I see where Emily got her reaction from," the auburn-haired girl joked.

"I'm sorry."

"It's ok. Your daughter's given me much better slow dance experiences."

* * *

The hallway outside of her cell was composed of the same gloomy grey brick that she had been forced to stare at for days. The only sources of light were large torches in brass brackets every ten feet or so. Her shadow was much larger than she was feeling inside. Toby was walking behind her, making sure that the rope tied around her wrists stayed where it was supposed to. The sounds of their footsteps were echoing through her head, deepening her level of anxiety. They reached the end of the hall and began to descend the stone staircase.

"Just hold your resolve like you have every year," Toby had told her before they exited her cell. Despite his intention to be encouraging, his words had a counterproductive impact on Emily. If she knew what the Duchess wanted, maybe she could come up with a strategy, but she couldn't ask Toby to explain. It would ruin her plan...or at least the small part of a plan she had come up with thus far.

They passed landing after landing as the stairs spiraled downward. It wasn't until they reached the fourth one that the adjacent halls started to take on a different appearance. Emily caught glimpses of red carpet, large portraits in gold frames, and suits of armor.

"Wait," Toby held her back as she tried to move forward. "This way." He directed her down the hall. Large red and black diamond shapes patterned the plush carpet. Every few feet stood tall suits of armor that had been painted black.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," Emily muttered, half expecting the metal to come to life.

They came to a large oak door, and Toby knocked three times.

"State your business," a cool voice demanded from inside.

"Toby Cavanaugh with the prisoner here to see the Duchess."

"You may enter."

* * *

"So Emily likes to lead when she dances?"

"Only because I'm so terrible at it," Paige joked, placing the picture back in the box. Her hand brushed up against one of the books. It was a children's fairytale book. "You're taking this to the hospital?" She looked up at Emily's mom.

"The doctors suggested reading some of her favorite things to her. For her sake or mine, I don't really know. But we used to read out of that book every night when she was little, so I thought maybe a few fairytale endings couldn't hurt in trying to make our own happen."

"Maybe I should try the 'true love's kiss' thing."

Pam gave her a small smile and glanced down at her watch. "Is it that late already? I should get back to the hospital."

"I'll go with you," the auburn-haired girl stood up.

"No, you should take a shower and get some fresh clothes. Take a nap. Emily's not going anywhere."

Paige frowned and gave Emily's mother completely unintended puppy dog eyes.

"Oh, don't look...fine," she sighed. "Hurry up and take a shower. I'll wait for you in the car."


End file.
